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Apple delivers “Life Aquatic” to my TV

September 13th, 2006

My Mac Mini is in my living room. I have a $19 multi-input video switch, a $99 scan converter, a $19 iPod AV cable, a $99 iPod HomeDock, a video iPod, and a TV that has a composite video input (most do). So I have a variety of ways to watch my iTunes video on my TV: standard Mac Mini display (either in standard desktop mode or with the full-screen Equinux MediaCentral software interface) that is converted to composite video via the scan converter, iPod bottom connection via my HomeDock, and the iPod top connection with the AV cable. All are connected to my video input switch which connects to my TV.

The scan converter makes the video a little fuzzy but lets me use the Equinux software interface which I love. I also have a $39 wireless mouse/keyboard which lets me navigate video, photos, radio streams, and play Equinux games from my couch. The HomeDock lets me charge my iPod while watching video. However, I recommend just keeping it simple for now and sticking with the $19 iPod AV cable. With this you have one cable and you can find a lot of video devices that will use it as a composite audio/video input source. This makes it very easy.

I just ordered this $19 DVI to S-video converter which I am hoping will look better than the $99 scan converter, but I doubt it will. With scan converters, you usually get what you pay for and I don’t want to spend $1000 for one that might only be a little bit sharper.

Hopefully, folks will collect interesting videos via iTunes and use the iPod and the sneaker net to move it to the video display location of choice. I hope we can have viewing parties where we each bring our iPod to share the stuff that we have found. My favorite find so far is ZeFrank. I also like Democracy Now. I just bought “The Life Aquatic”. What is yours? When can we get together and watch what we have found? Here is a list of some IPTV shows that you might like.

Next year I may replace my TV with an LCD monitor and the Apple iTV device. It looks like this device requires a Mac to download and store the video. I would rather see Apple come out with a stand-alone iTV device … well, I guess that is just a Mac Mini with FrontRow.

Engadget has an extensive write up of how to get video from a Mac Mini to a TV.

I predict that Apple will do for downloadable movies what they did for downloadable TV. They will start with a few Disney shows and very soon all of the other studios will beg to be included in the Apple media distribution and marketing machine. Apple will teach folks how to find and view content of their own choosing including independent RSS feeds. The economics of movie distribution and marketing will radically change, consumers will have more choice of independently produced content, some consumers will become content creators, and the Captains of Consciousness will loose their grip on our culture and politics.

Yes, there are issues with Apple having so much control but I support them because what is most important is the behavioral shift from traditional TV consumption and movie distribution to user selection of media via the Internet. Standard and open technology like HTTP, RSS, OGG Vorbis/Theora, VLC, H264, and MP3 will enable people to develop alternative systems that will provide the newly trained masses with even more choice and control. For example: the Democracy TV Platform for Linux.

I’m optimistic. Are you?

UPDATE: I received the $19 DVI to S-Video/composite adapter and it works much better than the scan converter which is too fuzzy. I recommend using this with your Mac to send video to your TV. For audio I have a mini to rca adapter that allows me to plug into the speaker out of my Mac and send this audio to my TV’s rca audio input.

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